The embodiments described herein relate generally to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus displaying ultrasound images and medical images other than the ultrasound images.
A conventional ultrasound diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasound waves to a subject by touching an ultrasound probe on the body surface of the subject and generates and displays an ultrasound image based on the acquired echo data. Examples of medical images other than the ultrasound images include an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) image and an X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) image. Japan Unexamined Patent Application No. 10-151131 discloses an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that displays an ultrasound image and an MRI image or an ultrasound image and a CT image side-by-side.
When an ultrasound image and a medical image other than the ultrasound image about the same cross-section are displayed in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, shapes of the body tissue in each image may be different despite the same cross-section due to different postures at capturing an image. For example, when a breast is imaged by the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, it is imaged in the supine position. On the other hand, when a breast is imaged by the MRI apparatus, it is imaged in the prone position. Thus, the breast in the ultrasound image appears squashed by its weight, and the breast in the MRI image hangs by gravity so that each shape in respective images is different.
Because of this, in the case displaying the ultrasound image and the medical image other than the ultrasound image together, it is desirable to display images showing identical shapes of the body tissue about the same cross-section for diagnosis.